News & Events: CUTC Grant and Multiple FDOT Projects

February 2, 2022

UFTI/STRIDE Receive Grant from the Council of University Transportation Centers to Encourage Undergraduate Students to Choose Transportation as a Career

Under the CUTC New Initiatives program, Dr. Lily Elefteriadou, Ondine Wells, and Ines Aviles-Spadoni, have been awarded a grant which will develop a 1-credit course for freshmen and sophomore students in engineering. This initiative will attempt to shift beliefs about the transportation industry and to encourage more students to choose transportation as a career. The course will be piloted at UF in Fall 2022 and made available online to the broader public. Each week, professionals from around the country will share their own experiences in the transportation industry with students. A wide range of topics will be covered including autonomous technology, data analytics, and climate change.

Geospatial Modeling and Mapping Detect Gaps in Transportation Services for Vulnerable Populations

UFTI affiliates Dr. Ruth Steiner and Dr. Ilir Bejleri of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning conducted geospatial modeling and mapping to identify and examine gaps in the transportation services for vulnerable populations in a Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) project titled "Applying Gap Modeling to Inform Improvement of Transportation Services for Vulnerable Populations at the Local and Regional Levels”. The findings of this project can help local, regional, and state agencies in responding more completely to the needs of vulnerable populations.

Read the Summary and the Final Report.

Newly Designed Cementitious Mix Created by UFTI Affiliate Offers Improved Durability, Cost Savings, and Environmental Benefits

With the sharp increase in the pricing of concrete and decrease in the supply of fly ash, researchers and planners are working to find formulations that use less portland cement. In the FDOT project “Reducing Portland Cement Content and Improving Concrete Durability – Phase II,” UF Professor Dr. Mang Tia examined the technical properties of promising new concrete formulations. Results showed that the partial replacement of portland cement with limestone offered similar properties as portland cement when used in concrete. The report includes possible paths for the implementation of this new formulation for improved durability for concrete transportation construction in Florida.

Read the Summary and the Final Report

I-STREET:

Advanced Driver Assistance System Shows Promising Results in Foundational Safety Study

Gainesville's Regional Transit System (RTS) provides more than 40,000 trips per day, and with these trips, there is also the potential for crashes and liabilities. However, collision avoidance systems can help. Former UF researcher Dr. Clark Letter, now the Director of Planning and Analytics at the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization, and UFTI-T2 Center Director Dr. Nithin Agarwal evaluated the effectiveness of an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) in the FDOT project “University of Florida Testbed Initiative – Alternative Transportation Safety Systems”. The researchers analyzed data from 10 RTS buses with routes around the UF campus; they also conducted focus groups with RTS drivers. The findings of this project can improve safety for all road users.

Read the Summary and the Final Report.

Ph.D. Student in Civil Engineering Receives the ITS Florida Anne Brewer Academic Scholarship

Doctoral student Agustin Guerra has been selected to receive ITE Florida’s Anne Brewer Academic Scholarship for his skills and contributions in the field of transportation. Guerra has a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Kansas and worked for more than 5 years in highway design projects in Latin-America before pursing his doctoral degree at UF. As a third-year Ph.D. student, he is working on developing optimization algorithms for connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) in arterials. “This recognition will help me to continue developing my skills as a transportation professional, and I hope this will open doors in the near future”, said Agustin.

Dr. Fabio Sasahara Joins the 2022 LeadershipITE Class

Dr. Sasahara, Associate Engineer at the UFTI/McTrans Center, joins the 2022 LeadershipsITE Class along with 19 other new scholars across the U.S.

Dr. Sasahara was involved with the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) as a doctoral student at UF, where he held several positions, including president. He continues to be actively involved in the transportation field collaborating with ITE at the Section and District levels, on the International Council and various Committees. He is also a user Liaison at the TRB Highway Capacity and Quality of Service Standing Committee (ACP40).

LeadershipITE was established to grow and empower leaders within the transportation profession. The kick-off class of 2022 was held this January prior to the TRB Annual Meeting. Through this program, participants explore current issues in transportation; develop and hone leadership competencies; and build the professional network required to excel as leaders in ITE. This will be an 8-month program, which will culminate in in-person graduation at the ITE 2022 Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA.

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